Why I Turned Down a $67K Domain

It started with a Google search.

I wanted a clean domain name for my newest project — The Drawing Board.
A creative hub. A YouTube series. A platform where artists could come together, sketch things out, scrap what doesn’t work, and start again.

It’s not just a title — it’s a mindset.
The Drawing Board is where risk meets rhythm.
And like any good builder with a vision, I figured I'd start with the foundations: buy the domain.

So I typed it in.

thedrawingboard.com

Taken.

No surprise there.
But what did surprise me? The little note beside it:

Available for purchase — $67,586.64 AUD.

I blinked. Then I laughed.

The Real Estate Hustle

That’s the thing about the internet.
Domains are the new beachfront property.
No house, no plumbing, no people — just the promise that one day, someone might want to live there.

And the owners?
They sit on it, year after year, waiting for some poor soul to get desperate enough to cough up the ransom.

Within days, I started getting emails.

“We’ve helped tens of thousands secure their premium domains. It’s an important investment in your brand.”
“This is your chance to own a piece of digital real estate.”
“It won’t be available for long…”

They were polite. But pushy.
Wrapped in language like “strategic vision” and “locking in your brand identity.”
Like buying the domain would be the difference between artistic obscurity and world domination.

So I wrote back.

What I Actually Said

Here’s the actual email I sent to the sales team:

Hi there,

I just wanted to follow up on the listing for thedrawingboard.com, which I noticed is currently priced at $67,586.64 AUD.

I had to triple-check that I hadn’t accidentally added an antique yacht or a small property to my cart.

To be clear—I’m not looking to acquire an entire art school, a Picassoesque original, or a seat on the MoMA board. Just a domain. One that, frankly, sounds like a stock-standard phrase lifted from a motivational poster in a failing start-up’s break room.

It’s a good name, don’t get me wrong. But for that price, I was hoping it at least came with a lifetime supply of good ideas, two dozen seasoned creatives, and a coffee machine that never breaks down.

I’ve since registered thedrawingboard.live—a cleaner, more dynamic alternative that actually fits the energy of my project. So thank you for the unintentional push toward a better decision.

If you ever come back down to earth and list the domain for a price that doesn’t require a second mortgage, feel free to reach out.

Until then, I’ll be over here—back at the drawing board (pun fully intended), building something worth more than a URL.

Cheers.

Live, and Let Create

Instead of paying a premium for an address, I bought a cleaner, cheaper alternative:

thedrawingboard.live

Fitting, right?

This project isn’t just a landing page. It’s alive.
It moves, it sketches, it speaks.
It features artists from all walks of life who don’t care about owning space — they occupy it with presence and process.

While some people spend their time hoarding domain names, we’re out here doing the work.

Camera in hand. Beat in the background. Pen to paper. Paint to wall.

And when people Google “The Drawing Board,”
they won’t just find a domain — they’ll find a movement.

Build First. Brand Later.

I get it.
A good name matters.
But a good name is earned, not bought.

We’ve all seen brands with fancy logos and premium domains fizzle out before launch.
And we’ve seen nobodies with janky .xyz links and Canva logos build a cult following.

The difference?
Process. Voice. Vision. Work.

That’s what gives a name weight.
The domain is just a mailbox.
What matters is what you send out from it.

Real Value Is What You Do With It

I didn’t walk away from a $67K domain because I’m frugal.
I walked away because that’s not the kind of wealth I’m building.

I’m building:

• A rhythm that artists can move to

• A space where graffiti and graphics collide

• A voice that cuts through the noise without shouting
  

I’m not chasing status.
I’m sourcing substance.

And if you’re reading this? You probably are too.

In the end, I didn’t just turn down a domain.
I turned down the illusion that a price tag equals presence.

And I went back to where I do my best work:
The Drawing Board.

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